Silo.



No. 820,750. PATENTED MAY 15', 1906.

A. WALRATH.

SILO.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 12, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INT who] v PA'IENTED MAY-15, 1906. A. WALRATH.

SILO. APPLICATION PILEDOOT, 12. 1903.

2 sums-sum z.

INVENTOR W7? K A ZTTORJVEY.

ABRAM WALRATH, OF WEEDSPORT, NEW YORK.

SILO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed c'tober12, 1963. Serial No. 176,633-

companying drawings, is a full, clear, and eX- act description.

This invention relates to the class of silos which are provided with a vertically-extended orcontinuous doorway and a series of doors for closing the said doorway.

The nvention consists in an improved construction of "the silo-doors and means for closing the same, as hereinafter described,

: and set forth in the claims.

" a front elevation 0 Fig. 1.

and bound by hoops a a in the usual mannerf The front of this silo is formed with a con bottom to top In' the accompanfying drawings, Figure 1 is a silo equipped with my improved doors. zontal transverse section on the line X X in Fig. 3'is a further enlar ed vertical sectional view on the line Z Z in i-g. 2. Fig. i is a similar view orr'the line'Y'Yin Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detachedgisometric perspective View of the lowermost door minus its clamping device, and FigUG is a vertical transverse section on the line U in Fig; 5. 4 Similar letters of reference mdicate corresponding parts.

A represents the body of the silo, formed of.

stavesunited by tongue-and-groove joints tinuqus' or vertically-extended openin or doorway 12 between posts 0 0, extending om 1 of the drawings.

ddd represent a series ofdoors which are seated directl oneopon the other and are sustained in t e doorway b by my improved constructionof said arts and by the novel means of clarn ing t e doors their closed position, Whlc improvements possess 1mortant advantages and constitute the salient eatu'i'es of my invention, which I shall now dgscriben y l I i i The door-post c at one side of the doorway b is formed with a verticallyooved jamb e. The groove is preferably ma e V'-shape for wedgi'ng therein one of the side ed es 0 1 the doors d, as shogln'in Fig. 2 of the rawings, in which case e said edge of the door d is double-beveled or V-shaped, as shown at e, corresgipndi to the V-shaped jamb e. Aside from t 6 s 5 Fig? 2is an enlarged hori-' of the body A, as shown in Fig.

therein serves to outward falling o the door in placing-it in the doorway b. The other door-post c is. fogmed with a jamb f, which isbeveled uni' formly inward from the exterior to the interior of the silo, and the adjacentside edge of the door is bevele outward,as shown at f, to conform to said jamb.

- In the operation of closing the door (1 it is first inserted with its V-shaped edge into the groove of the jamb e, inwhich the doorman be swung from the interior of thesilo outward to place the edge f of the door ontothe beveled jamb f. a 1

By means of a suitable clamping device g,

' Patented May 15 ,19oe.-

the jamb e with the edge of the door seated- I revent inward as well as connected to the door d, adjacent to the beveled ed e f thereof and engaging the exterior of t e door-post c, the said door is forced outward and onto the beveled jambf,

I preferably form the clamping device 9 of v i a lever which is-pivotally connected to a tubular stud h, projecting from a plate It, firmlysecured to the exterior of the door adolt 'i, assing through the clamp-lever g and throng the stud h 'and'door d and provided with a head engaging the inner side of the door, serves as'a pivot to the said clamp-lever, which is retained on the stud h by means of a nut on the outer end of the bolt '0.

The portion of the clamp-lever g which engages the exterior of the post 0' is beveled to form an upwardly-disposed wedge j, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 of the drawings, so that a downward ressure applied to the cam-lever. causes the Wedge 7 to press with increasing force onto the exterior of the post 0, and thus draw the door with a correspondingly-increased force onto the beveled jamb ,which contact causes the door to be'forced aterally into thegrooved jamb e, and thus the closed door is perfectly tighterred in both of the vertical ambs. Simultaneously with this effect ithe cam-lever the door receives a downward pressure, so as to betightly. seated on the subjacent door. This last-mentioned effect is produced b the downward pressure a plied to the camever wedging action the'gr'oove of 5 w acent to the beveled edge f thereof. A

- convenient position for closing the doorway, 4o

' cal groove if shape in cross-section, and an the said door of a tier ofstaves matched toc by the engagement of the cam-lever, I attech to the exterior of said post a bar of engle-iron Z, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. c i

To enable the side edges of the door d to better resist the pressure of the jambs, I form gether, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, and tied together by means of dowels n n, passing through the stavesh The door is thus formed with smooth surfaces and prevented from warping and splitting.

0 0 denote spreader bars orrods which extend across the doorway st the exterior of the silo-body A and pass with their ends through the posts 0 c and ere provided with nuts 0 o, engaging opposite sides of each post to adjustably tie said posts to eech other and hold them firmly in place.

In filling the silo the doors (2 d are placed successively one upon the top of the other and wedged onto the jarnbs e and f by'tightening the clamp-levers g g on the post 0. In removing the silage the uppermost door or doors are taken out of the doorway b, and then as the hull: of silage becomes reduced the remaining doors are consecutively loos-. ened by turning the clamp-levers and pushed up in the doorway sufficiently to make the necessary openhig for removal of the silage. By reclamping the reised doors said doors are retained in the r elevated position. Atter the silo is emptied the clamp-levers of the elevated doors are loosened sufiiciently to allow said doors to drop to their normal position in the doorway and may he clamped preparatory to refilling the silo. It will thus he observed that the doors d d are always in a and the tightening of the closed doors is quickly and effectually accomplished.

l leet I claim as my invention is 1. [i silo having a vertically-extended opening forming a doorway, a door-post formed in its janib or inner face with a verti opposite door-post having the lamb or inner face beveled inwardly of the silo, a series oi doors dis njised sucresst vcly one upon the top eeoyvso of the otherand'in the same vertical plane, each of said doors heingm'ovable verticall and laterally in the onenlng end having their edges conformed to t e aforesaid jsmbs, and means for locking the edgefor" the doors sepa rately in its closed position, and during the locking operation for causing said doors to be posed successively one on top of the other in the same vertical lone, and each movable independently vertically andlaterally in the opening, said doors having their edges conformed to the aforesaid jambs to :Fit therewith, and means movably connected to each door to engage the exterior of the door-post formed with the beveled j arch and loclrj the doors, said means acting to move the doors laterally and downwardly during the locking operation, substantially as described.

3. in a silo provided with a vertical dooropening, the combination of a door-post having a vertically-grooved jamb, and an opposite door-pos't having an inwardly-beveled jamb, and a door having its edges conformed to said jam'hs to'fit therewith, and means for forcing the door to its closed position and simultaneously with said closing of the door to move the same laterally toward the grooved j amh andldownwardly, substantielly as de scribed.

4. A silo having a vertical opening forming a doorway, door-posts, one of which is grooved, the other beveled, doors fitting said door-posts and clamps carried by the doors and adapted to draw the doors between the door-posts and move the doors downwardly in the opening.

' ABRAM WALBATH.

Witnesses JENNIE F. BrnwnLL, HALSEY BLDWELL. 

